Seniors: With age comes responsibility. Go vote.

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Many McIntosh seniors will turn 18 before November 6, which means that they will be eligible to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. Several of my friends are already registered. I, however, am frustrated by my age; I will still be 17. For a while, I have been frustrated by my inability to have a voice in politics. This article is my way to get my voice out there, and to encourage my peers to take advantage of this opportunity.

Voting is extremely critical, especially with all of the current national focus on politics and who is up for election. This time around, our senators are not up for election or reelection, but our representatives, state senator, and governor are. Our current representative in the House is Drew Ferguson, who is running for a reelection into his second term, and his Democratic opponent is Chuck Enderlin. In Georgia, we have a state senate with all senators up for election every two years; our current state senator — Marty Harbin — is running for reelection, and his Democratic opponent is Bill Lightle. The governor election is extremely important this year because neither candidate has ever held the office of governor yet, meaning they are considered “gubernatorial candidates.” Brian Kemp is the Republican candidate, and Stacey Abrams is the Democratic candidate.

But seniors, why should you care? It’s not like their decisions will affect you, right?

Wrong.

Education is one of the biggest issues when considering who to vote for. All of the candidates have an entire section on their campaign website dedicated to their views about education-related issues. Even once you graduate high school, you’re probably headed to college to get — wait for it — educated. And then, you likely have siblings who will or already attend school, too, so you should vote for someone who will make decisions you agree with concerning education. Kemp plans to keep things the same; Ferguson wants to give more power to the states; Enderlin and Abrams have more specific proposals concerning education, including making college cheaper and more accessible. If you have opinions about education, vote!

In March, our school hosted a walkout for gun control. Some students went, some didn’t. Gun control is a major issue, and each candidate has passionate views about it. The Democratic candidates both have an entire page dedicated to gun control and mention that they hope to eradicate the possibility of school shootings and repeal campus carry laws. Ferguson has a page on his faith in the second amendment, and although Kemp does not mention it on his webpage, he has also talked about his support of guns and campus carry. If you have concerns about a gun on your college campus, vote!

Democratic candidates are also including equal rights in their platform. Abrams would be the third ever African-American governor and the first ever female African American governor in the entire history of the United States. Naturally, she is big on equal rights. Enderlin also has proposals concerning equality, including the elimination of racism in criminal processes. If you have opinions about equality in our country, vote!

These are the most relevant issues to me, and so I assume, to you. There are many other issues that factor into who you want to vote for, so I encourage you to look at each candidate’s website and to go vote for the person that you feel will best represent you and the changes you want to be made. Early voting has already begun, and so you can go vote at a convenient time for you in any of the three available locations as long as you are registered. Regular voting is November 6, and you are then supposed to go to your regular polling place, all of which can be found on the election page of Peachtree City’s website (link below). Many of us as seniors have an opportunity to change how the government works and what decisions are made; it is an absolute waste to remain ignorant or refuse to vote.